Address plate index



April 26, l932. w. R. ALLEN 1,856,014

ADDRESS PLATE INDEX Filed July 17,\1929 2 fin-f- 7 IBIS EuoLmAv: l

MR. JMES. SEMES A l i315 EucLlD Ave. CLEVELAND, Omo.

gime/nto@ @faQ/Md? Zw anim ne@ Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM R. ALLEN, OF SHAKER HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN MULTIGRAPI-I CO., F WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE ADDRESS PLATE INDEX Application led July 17, 1929. Serial No. 378,861.

This invention relates to printing devices and particularly to a printing form suitable for use as an address printing member. Such members or plates may support individual addresses and salutations and are adapted to be contained in a drawer or stack and selected either serially or by suitable indicia for printing. In the form shown the plate is adapted for ribbon printing, the plate underlying the ribbon and the paper overlying the same, the paper being pressed against the ribbon and plate to take an impression. The invention particularly concerns the provision of a simple tab or index member for indicating the class or group in which a particular printing member or plate belongs, and a simple and convenient means for positively retaining such tab in place on the plate.

An object is to provide an address plate and removable tab or index member both of which may be simple and cheap to construct.

A further object is to provide an address plate which will be so formed as to support an identification member in a protected p0- sition well below the printing surfaces of the plate.

Another object is to provide an identification member or tab adapted to be supported in place on an address plate by retaining means which are substantially the same as the retaining means for the printing character bearing members.

Another object is to provide an index member or tab which Vmay be securely positioned in place on the address plate against inadvertent displacement and which at the same time may be readily removed for replacement with a different index member.

The preferred form of plate is shown. described and claimed in Patent No. 1.628.630, issued to Henry C. Osborn, May 10, 1927. Such plate preferably consists of a curved strip of sheet metal, suitably reinforced at its edges and having on its body portion parallel rows of corrugations from which extend upstruck lips or lugs which are severed from the metal of the corrugations and extend substantially in the same plane as the uppermost surface of the corrugations. Over such corrugations are slid printing strips having downturned side edges embracing the lips. The strips have upwardly embossed printing characters thereon.

The present index member or tab is an improvement over the tab illustrated, described and claimed in Patent No. 1,628,631, issued to Henry C. Osborn May 10, 1927. I have found that the address plate receives comparatively rough usage. In the course of constant handling I have found that if the tab is separated from the plate the identification of the plate with regard to its classification is thereby lost. This invention comprises a tab or index member which may be secured to the address plate, in such manner, that it will not be inadvertently moved, while at the same time it may readily be replaced if so desired. In the prior patent the tab is supported flatwise on a portion of the plate which does not have Corrugations and is retained in place against movement in all directions by the corrugations. The portions of the corrugations which extend at the sides of the tab have lips extending outwardly over the tab, these lips and corrugated portions being made the same as those holding the printing character bearing strips and at the same time the latter lips and corrugations are formed. The present index member or tab has portions which are adapted to lie in certain of the openings formed in the corrugations as the result of the forming of the retaining lips or lugs.

The advantages of my construction will become more apparent from the following description which relates to a preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and the essential characteristics are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of my address plate showing the index member or tab thereon. Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sectional views indicated by the lines 2 2 and 3-3 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a substantially horizontal cross sectional view indicated by the line 4 4 on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan of my index member or tab. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary prospeetive view showing several embossed printing lines supported on the plate with the tab 100 in position thereon. Fig. 7 shows a series of address plates supported in a drawer.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 indicates the address plate generally which may be constructed of a curved sheet metal body portion 2, having` downturned marginal portions 3 integral therewith and terminating in beads 4 running the entire length of the plate. The plate in general is trough-shaped in order that a number of plates may be stacked together and occupy a comparatively small space. The side of the plate is flared outwardly in order that the plates may serve to mutually align themselves and in order that they will not adhere to each other. The means for holding the printing strips includes, as shown, longitudinally extending corrugations 7 the corrugations at the side edges of the plate which are designated 7a extend substantially the entire length of the plate. There are also shorter corrugations indicated at 7b which stop short of one end of the plate. Each corrugation as shown has a uniform series of laterally extending lips or lugs 10 which may be formed by shearing out small portions from the sides of the corrugations and bending such sections upwardly. This results in openings 11 in the corrugations, an opening necessarily underlying each lug.

In order that the lips may accurately support the printing character bearing strips they lie substantially in the same plane as the ridges or upper surfaces of the corrugations. As shown the lips are in a staggered relation to each other, that is to say, one lip is bent up on one side and the next adjacent lip on the same corrugation is bent up on the opposite side of the corrugation, and so on. If

a however it is desired, these lips may be otherwise arranged. For example, they may be opposite each other.

The printing members consist as shown of narrow strips of metal having upwardly embossed printing characters 12 and downwardly and inwardly extending flanges 13, the flanges being arranged to embrace the lips and to be held in place against lateral movement thereby. Suitable means for locking the flanges may consist in bending down a section of the metal between adjacent strips.

, My index member or tab preferably consists, as shown, of a rectilinear piece of suitable material such as a Celluloid of such nature that indicia may be written thereon with plate, such surface extending from the ends of the shorter corrugations 7b between the projecting ends of the longer corrugations 7a to the edge of the plate.

The tab 20 is preferably made of a flexible material such as Celluloid and has extending portions or ears 22 which are correspondingly spaced with reference to the lips 10 of the address plate. The ears 22 are so formed that when the tab is in place on the plate the tab itself underlying certain of the lips 10 while the projection 22 will enter the openings l1 formed in the plate by reason of the punching upwardly of thelips. This is best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 1. Here it will be seen that the projections 29. of the tab readily secure the tab in place on the plate against inadvertent lateral movement while the projecting lips 10 of the address plate retain the tab in contact with the plate.

The manner of inserting the tab in place on the plate may be as follows: The projections 22 on one side of the tab are first inserted beneath the lips l0 of one of the corrugations 7a, the projections thereupon entering the openings 1l formed in the corrugation. The tab may then be sprung as illustrated at 25 by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 and the projections 22 on the opposite side of the tab will then be in position to enter the openings 11 formed in the other corrugation 7a and upon the release of the tab they will spring int-o place thereby securing the tab in position on the address plates. The removal of the tab may be readily accomplished by lifting its forward edge 24 from the plate, thereupon raising the entire tab. The plate may have a cutaway portion (not shown) to facilitate the removal of the tab.

In F ig. 7 I have shown a number of address plates supported in a suitable drawer D and resting against each other in two groups P and P, the latter group having plates that have been printed from and replaced in the drawer or which have been simply tipped forward as in the case of plates from which no impression was taken. The foremost plate 1a in the group P illustrates the desirability of having tabs which are near the ends of the plate where they may be readily read as the operator turns the plates one by one, from one group to the other.

The tab may bear suitable indicia desig nating the classes or groups of addresses or may consist of different colored tabs with or without legends. have extensions, not shown. which may be placed in dilferent places across the ends of the plate to enable the operator to pick out a plate of a given class without having to move the plates one by one.

It will be seen from the above description that l have provided a very simple and etticient device for identifying an address plate or printing member comprising an index member or tab provided with securing' portions or lugs which are adapted to coact with perforations in the printing member. l have provided a tab which may utilize the same retaining means as the printing character bearing members, the retaining means in both in- If desired, the tabs may --f stances may be readily formed by substantially the same forming dies and therefore the tab retaining means involves practically no additional cost. lt will also be seen that l have provided a simple and efficient index tab which is readily placed in position on a printing member and retained thereon against any inadvertent displacement caused by rough usage of the plates in handling but which tab may readily be removed from the printing member when so desired. is also seen that l have provided a tab upon which may be Written suitable indicating characters or data which may readily be removed without destroying the tab thereby permitting the tab to be used many times and for different classifications.

l claim:

l. A plate having spaced openings arranged in parallel rows, an index member between the rows and having lips at its opposite edges adapted to enter said openings to retain it in position on the plate.

2. An address printing member having ribs for supporting printing character bearing members, said ribs having openings therein, a removable index member positioned between certain of the ribs and having means to engage one of said openings to retain the inde?A member in position on the plate.

3. An address plate having raised portions for supporting printing surfaces, said raised portions having openings therein, a tab positioned between certain of the raised portions and having means to engage certain of the openings to retain the tab in position on the plate.

4. An address plate having lugs upstruck therefrom and adapted to retain printing character bearing members, said plate having an opening associated with each of said lugs, an index tab supported on the plate and having portions adapted to coact with said openings to retain the tab in place on the plate.

5. An address plate having parallel ribs for supporting printing character bearing members, said ribs having openings therein, some of said ribs being longer than others, a tab positioned between certain of the longer ribs and having projections thereon adapted to enter said openings to retain the tab in position on the plate.

6. An address printing member h ving raised portions for supporting a printing surface, said raised portions having openings therein, an index member positioned between certain of the raised portions and adapted to lie below the printing surface and having means to engage certain of the openings to retain the tab in position on the plate.

7. A sheet metal address plate having parallel rows of corrugations struck upwardly therefrom to retain printing cliarac ter bearing members, said plate having openings in the corrugations beneath the lugs, an index member supported on the plate and having portions adapted to coact with said openings to retain the tab in place on the plate.

8. An address plate having parallel ribs for supporting printing character bearing members, said ribs having openings therein, some of said ribs being longer than others, a flexible index tab positioned between cer' tain of the longer ribs and having projections thereon adapted to enter said openings toretain the tab in position on the plate, said tab lying substantially below the printing character bearing members.

9. In an address plate, a sheet metal body member having corrugations therein, lips upstruclr from the sides of the corrugations leaving openings in the corrugations, said lips overhanging the sides of the corrugations for retaining printing character bearing members, and a tab resting on an uncorrugated portion of the plate, substantially in a plane below the printing members, said tab having projections coacting with the openings in the corrugations to retain the tab in place on the plate.

10. An address plate having a troughshaped metal body portion, rows of printing members positioned thereon and parallel with the sides of the trough, the printing surfaces of said members being materially above the body of the plate, and a tab positioned on the plate below the plane of the printing surfaces and at the end of the plate, said tab having projections adapted to enter openings in the plate to retain the tab in position on the plate.

11. An address plate having corrugations, a uniform series of overhanging projections extending laterally from said corrugations to retain printing character bearing members thereon, openings in the corrugations caused by the forming of said projections, an index tab supported on the plate, portions of the tab underlying certain of said projections, and having portions adapted to coact with said openings to retain the tab in place on the plat-e.

12. A. printing member having ribs for supporting printing members, said ribs having openings therein, a Celluloid member positioned between certain of the ribs and having projections thereon adapted to enter said openings to retain the tab in position on the plate.

i3. ln an address plate, a sheet metal body member having longitudinally parallel raised portions therein, a uniform series of lips upstruclr from the plates and sides of the raised portions leaving openings in the sides of the raised portions, said lips overhanging the sides of the raised portions for retaining printing character bearing members, and a flexible tab resting on an uncorrugated portion of the plate between certain of said raised portions substantially in a plane below the printing bearing members, said tab having projections coacting with openings in the raised portions to retain the tab in place on the plate.

14. An address plate comprising a body portion having ribs thereon, rows of printing bearing members positioned on said ribs, the printing surfaces being materially above the body of the plate and a tab positioned thereon below the plane of the printing surfaces and at the end of the plate, said tab having projections adapt-ed to enter openings in the side of said ribs to'retain the tab in position on the plate.

l5. The combination of an address plate having ribs with openings in them and an index plate lying on the address plate and having projections at its opposite edges adapted to enter said openings.

16. The combination, with an address plate, of an index in the form ot a fiat plate, having projections at its opposite edges, and means rising from the address plate and spaced apart thereon and having openings adapted to coact with said projections when the index is resting on the address plate.

17. The combination o1- an address plate having parallel corrugations, holes in side walls of said corrugations, and an index having tongues adapt-ed to project into said holes.

18. An address plate comprising a body portion having ribs thereon, printing members carried by the address plate above the body thereof, and an index resting on the address plate and of less height than the printing members, said index having projections adapted to enter openings in the inner sides of said ribs.

19. An address plate having ribs with side openings thereinto and lips above the openings combined with an index having edge tongues extending into the openings, the lips extending over the index.

20. An address plate having upwardly formed corrugations from which lips extend alternatively in opposite directions, each lip being made by a cut out portion of the corrugation which is then turned upwardly into substantial parallelism with the base of the plate, combined with an index tab lying on the base of the plate and having projections at its opposite edges which are adapted to enter holes in the corrugations made by cutting out the extending tongues.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aix my signature.

l/VILLIAM R. ALLEN. 

